Protein For Fat Loss

When dieting to lose fat the most important macronutrient is protein, which is why I cringe when I see people thinking that protein-less salads are a good option to go with when it comes to fat loss (for the record I have nothing against salads as long as they contain a protein source).

When dieting your body will look for ways of conserving energy and muscle tissue is very ‘metabolically expensive’ for your body to hold onto, so your body wants to get rid of it, we do not want this to happen under any circumstances, one way to combat this is to eat sufficient amounts of protein and I would also recommend consuming a good quality BCAA during training sessions.

The main aim of a fat loss diet should be to maintain muscle mass (whilst losing fat) not lose muscle mass, that’s the wrong kind of weight to lose.

Less muscle = less calories burned per day.

So how much protein do you need?

My recommendation is 1-2g per of protein per kg of body weight and I’d try and split that up into 20-40g per meal if you can.

Benefits of protein
– Helps conserve muscle tissue when dieting so you won’t look skinny fat after dieting
– Protein helps you feel fuller for longer
– The “thermic effect of food” (TEF) is the energy we use to digest food into small, absorbable components. Protein has a higher TEF compared to carbs and fat meaning you’re actually burning more calories to process protein than to process the other two.
– Protein helps your body repair and regrow.

Now it’s important to note that protein alone won’t make you lose fat, you must still be in a calorie deficit to do so, that is non negotiable when it comes to fat loss.

Cliff notes
– Eat 1-2g of protein per kg of body weight
– Preserve muscle tissue to ensure you don’t look skinny fat on the beach
– Protein alone won’t make you lose fat
– Calories are still king, you must be in a calorie deficit to lose fat